Training dogs can be challenging for some pet owners at home. They develop habits in the early development stages. How your puppy behaves depends on your training. While some pet owners have the expertise and knowledge to train puppies at home, others need dog trainers to do the job. Is a dog trainer worth it? Dog trainers use various techniques to train a puppy. One of those methods is clicker training. Today, we will guide you about dog clicker training to help you get along well with yours.
What is Dog Clicker Training?
Clicker training is reward-based training that allows your puppy to respond (do an action) when you click. It involves a small clicking device that acts as a signal for dogs to perform a certain task. When used effectively, clicker training can minimize your dog training problems.
Dog Clicker Training Tips You Should Know
We will walk you through a few tips you can use in clicker training.
Familiarize Your Dog With a Clicker
The most important part of clicker training is conveying the message to your puppy. If your puppy knows how a clicker works, it may learn to respond well to each click. Many pet owners rush through the basic step and find a clicker ineffective later. To avoid such cases, you must familiarize your pet with the clicking device and its motive.
You should introduce a clicker in a relaxed environment with no distractions. Remember to give your puppy a treat for responding to a click. Moreover, you can repeat the same practice several times throughout the day to clicker-train your puppy.
Train Your Dog to Heel With a Clicker
Heel training is one of the essential steps that most professional dog trainers in Kansas City follow. If we translate heel into simple terms, it means walking your dog beside you at (nearly) the same pace. While many struggle to accomplish this objective, a clicker can be a vital option to achieve this goal.
You may take your dog’s leash in your hand and pull him towards you while on the sidewalk. When it follows your command, click and treat it with a reward. Then take a few steps further and repeat the same step. Following this method, every few steps can positively reinforce the heel behavior in your pet dog.
Teach Your Dog to Fetch Using a Clicker
Dogs love to play fetch games. You might have seen many pet owners tossing toys or other items to a distance and directing their dogs to fetch them. What if we tell you you can do the fetch training with a clicker? Yes, it is possible. When your dog familiarizes itself with a clicker, it can perform various tricks.
To train your dog to fetch using a clicker, you may get a cool toy and allow your dog to play with it to familiarize itself. Allow it to sniff the toy. Now, raise the toy and click. Your dog may catch it. When it does, reward your dog with a treat. Repeat this practice by increasing the distance between the toy and the dog. It is an effective technique to clicker train your dog.
Train Your Dog to Release With Clicker Training
Dogs can be (pretty) stubborn when they hold onto something. You may find them chewing mats, boxes, and other items just for fun. While they look adorable doing such things, they often hold onto items of daily use. Instead of buying new clothes every once, you can teach your dog to release with clicker training.
To train your dog to release, you may offer it something to hold and click once it does. Remember to reward it with a treat for positive reinforcement. Use this practice to provide your dog with an alternative to chew. When you click, your dog should release the valuable object and hold onto something else (toys). Professional dog trainers in Kansas City, like at Precision Dog Training Academy, use various tricks to reinforce positive behavior in dogs.
Train Your Dog to Shake Paws With Clicker Training
Another interesting move many dog lovers wish their puppies to learn is to shake their paws. Puppies look adorable when they shake paws like humans to greet their owners. While true, training your puppy to develop this habit can be challenging. This is where clicker training comes to help you out.
To train your dog to shake paws, you may start with a tickle on its paw. When your dog moves it, reward it with a treat. Repeat this process a few times to help your dog understand its meaning. Now, hold the treat in your hand and click. The dog may raise its paw to reach your palm. Repeat this practice several times to train your dog to shake its paws when clicked.
Teach Your Dog to Bark With Clicker Training
While barking isn’t a good habit, sometimes you need your dog to look tough. This is when you expect it to bark on command. Precision Dog Training Academy offers dog training in Shawnee, Ks, and uses clicker training to train dogs to bark on command. If you want to do it at home, here’s what you should do.
Hold your dog’s favorite treat in your palm, and do not allow it to have it unless it follows your command to bark. When it does, reward it. Repeat this practice several times to train your dog to bark on command with clicker training.
The Bottomline
The above tips and tricks of clicker training in dogs can help you improve your training confidence. Precision Dog Training Academy can effectively meet your needs if you need one of the best dog trainers in Kansas City. Get in touch with one of the training experts today to schedule a training session.
